Last week's debate between presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump was one of the most followed in U.S. election history, according to CNN. Tuesday's vice-presidential debate in Farmville, Va. between Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Mike Pence is not slated to be as popular.

"People won't care as much," said Dr. Richard Fox, Professor of Political Science and Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Education at LMU. "Anything that happens will help the campaigns a little bit or [make them] hurt a little bit, but will not determine the outcome of the race."

While Kaine and Pence might delve more into detail on the issues than last week's debate, NPR indicated that history shows that vice-presidential candidates typically defend and fight for their respective candidate.

The vice-presidential debate, however, is still important for the vice-presidential candidates themselves, said Dr. Jane Junn, Professor of Political Science at USC.

"[It] is an opportunity to evaluate the person which would ascend to the highest office if the president himself or herself were to become incapacitated," Junn said.

Although voters plan to follow the debate, according to a CBS poll, many don't know a lot about the candidates.

Pence's political experience as a Republican House Representative and a Governor for Indiana were reasons why he was selected as a vice-presidential candidate in the first place, as covered by Politico.

"Trump could have gone with Newt Gingrich or Chris Christie who were rallying for him," Fox said, but Pence's conservative beliefs and policy-making made him an ideal running mate to appease establishment Republicans.

Because Trump, unlike Pence, is a very unconventional politician, Pence has his work cut out for him.

According to Fox, Pence will also have the job of defending Trump in light of Trump's past week, which included a Twitter "meltdown" as described by CNN and a New York Timesarticle on Trump's 1995 tax return that might have allowed him to avoid federal taxes.

But where Pence was selected to strengthen Trump's political weaknesses, Kaine seemed to be selected as a complement to Clinton. Kaine, who served as mayor, governor and Senator of Virginia, is a conventional politician like Clinton.

Since Clintonstruggles to connect with certain groups of voters, Kaine has the challenge of addressing the more negative views of her image, such as claims that she is untrustworthy, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Clinton has, however, enjoyed a lead in the polls since last week's debate, according to fivethirtyeight's Nate Silver. Given her recent jump in approval ratings, Fox says, "Kaine definitely has less of a job."

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